When asked about his criteria for choosing a running mate, former President Donald Trump name dropped both Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina and South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem as people who have stood out in the Republican Party in an interview with Fox News' "Sunday Morning Futures."
Trump, who said that "we have so many great people in the Republican Party," but that he would not make a decision about a vice presidential candidate "for a while," added that he speaks "to everybody," but then specifically mentioned Scott and Noem, two prominent GOP members who have both endorsed him, Axios pointed out.
"I called Tim Scott this week — because a lot of people like Tim Scott — I called him, and I said: 'You are a much better candidate for me than you are for yourself.'"
Trump added, "I watched him over the last two weeks. As you know, he endorsed me, fully endorsed me, gave me a beautiful endorsement, and he has been really strong in terms of that, but ... I don't want anybody to take even any inference, but it's incredible."
Trump also mentioned in the interview Noem, saying that the South Dakota governor "has been incredible fighting for me. She said 'I'd never run against him, because I can't beat him.' That was a very nice thing to say."
Noem told "Sunday Morning Futures" that she and Trump "talk all the time," but that the two have "never had that conversation" about her being his vice president.